Safety-catch.



F. A. BALLoU, 1R@

SAFETY CATCH.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. l2. 19.16.

1,262,734.. leafnwdv Apr.' 16, 191,8.

nien

FREDERICK A. BALLOIJ', JR., 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO B. A.

BALLO'U & CO. INC., 0F PROVIDENCE, RI-IODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

SAFETY-CATCH.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

Application filed October 12, 1916. Serial No. 125,162.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. BAL- LoU, Jr., a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Frovidence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety- Catches, of which the following is a specification.V

|Ihis invention relates to locks for safety catches for pins, and has for its object to provide a keeper having a pair of laterally yieldable side walls or ears and a guard member rotatably mounted between said ears and adapted to be locked in either open or closed position, both said keeper and guard being provided with a slot opening in its margin, the guard being movable to open or close the slot in the keeper.

A further object of the invention is the provision of' an inwardly projecting protuberance on one or both of the side walls of the keeper for engaging the slot in the guard to yieldably retain the latter in closed position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means in the guard and keeper whereby the guard mayl be locked in either open or closed position by the action of said protuberance. l

The invention further consists in the provision of means whereby a double lock is provided so that if the guard should be moved past the first lock it will engage the second lock before finally being moved to open the catch.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1- is a side elevation of a pin showing the point of the pin stem retained in my improved safety catch.

Fig. 5?.- is a perspective view showing the protuberance on the inner wall of one of the side ears of the keeper, the second wall having been removed.

Fig. 3- is a perspective view of the guard member showing the slot, the cut away p0rtion and the recessed portion all of which serve to coperate with said protuberance for locking the guard either in open or closed position.

Fig. 4 is an edge view showing both sides of the keeper in position to be bent up over the trunnionsy of the guard, to connect the whole together.

Fig. 5- is a side elevation of the catch member showing the guard in position to close t-he mouth of the slot in the keeper.

Fig. 6- is a diagrammatic view showing the development of the guard mounted in the keeper, the latter being in closed position with the protuberance engaging the slot therein. Y

Fig. 7- is the same as Fig. 6 with the guard moved forward in position for the protuberance on the keeper to engage the second stop on the guard to further pre vent the guard from moving to open position.

Fig. 8- shows the guard as having moved to open position and the protuberance in the wall of the keeper as having entered the recesses in the side of the guard to retain the same yieldably in closed position.

This invention is an improvement on Patent No. 1034136 to Morehouse and shows another means by which the guard member may be held in closed position, and also means for retaining the guard in open position. f

Referring to the drawings inthe present case, 10 designates the usual pin .stem pivotally mounted at one end in the joint member 11 attached to the body 12. My improved safety catch member 13 may be formed integral or it may be separate and subsequently attached to the pin body and is for the purpose of receiving the locking pivoted end of the pin stem.

This catch may be constructed in any suitable way but for convenience I have formed the keeper portion of two side ears 14 and 15 which are preferably bent up from a common base 16, the same being countersunk as at 17 for the reception of the trunnions 18 on the guard member 19. These side ears are each provided with a slot 20 which extends inward from its margin to the center thereof for the reception of the pointed end of the pin stem. The guard member is also provided with a similar slot 22 adapted to register with those in the ears of the keeper when the handle portion 23 of this guard is placed in the position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, and when this guard `member lismoved so,` .that this handle is in the position illustrated by full" lines in Fig. 5, the slot 22 as in the up positionswhich serves to closethe slots in: the

ears and. lock thepinlstem in thelkeeper.'

In some instances in devices of this character the 'friction of the tvvo parts is depend-J ed uponto hold the guard in any position in Whichlit may beplaced. It is found that this construction is not to.be relieduponas;

the parts Wear and the, nature of the stock varies considerably and therefore a uniform grip of. the Walls ot the keeyL er .against the.

guard member cannot be .relied upon.A

To overcome this diiiiculty I have .pro vided. apositive lock which Will retainfthe guard` either in closed or openposition in.

the keeper.;

To .accomplish thisI have provided a protuberance 2st onthe inner. aceoteach of.; these ears 14E and 15 iirsuch position thatk theyl Will both .enter the slot 22 in the keeper when it is moved into position to close .the slot; 20; inthe ears.`

I have also provided recesses 25 in lthe side faces of theguard member which will engage.theseprotuberances 24E and retain the..

guard when moved to open position.

In order to render the action of this catch Y practical andinost eltective I .have reduced the side Walls of the guard member at the point QGbetvveen the slot 22 and the recesses 25 whereby this portion of the gu-ardmember may receive a free; movement past theV -protuberancesand I have `also provided a ,secondpair of/shoulders E27 onthe guard member which are adapted to.- engage the protuberancesjust .before the slot 22 on the guard registers Vwith slots 20 onthe Vkeeper thereby providing a second lock or stop to prevent the guard from moving to open position Without beingvr'orced even though it 22; from opposite sides.

should have passed the shoulders of the iirst.`

lock.l

In the operation oi. my improved safety catch .When-.the guard is moved to looked position, the protuberances 2st enter the slot to move the guard .to open position pressure When yit is, desired til these protuberances bring up againstfthe...

shoulder .27. Hereagain the guard is prevented rom the free foi-Ward movement, re-

quiring pressure totorcethe side Walls` opento permit the p'rotuberances to pass over into thefrecesses 25 at Which'fpoint the slot 22.*.

registers ivi-th the slots QOiin the keeper.`

Both the shoulders and-30 are-prefers abl-yvsomeivhat `sloping to actas, a Wedge;

upon y the protuberanees and cause .the .Walls to yieldsomevvhat easily in permitting-said.

protuberances to pass yboth into and :outgof the recesses 25, the shoulders 31 being sharp or locked position.-

I have shown and'described.protuberances on bothavalls of the keeper,.-but theprotuberances on vbut one `Wall may bel employed.

it desired.

I have shown and described.one..illustra tive embodiment of my invention butl desire it tobeunderstood that although. speci-ic terms are employed they are used..in.a` descriptive and genericsense .-and. not for V.7() v so as. -to roffer considerable resistance to fthe first movement or the guardrromits closed.;

the purpose of. limitation, tlie.,scope of the...

invention being detined only by the append?v In a .safety catch, a keepershavinga ,pair4 of 'laterally yieldable side ears,- a4 guard.

member having trunnions rotatably4 mounts.

edin said ears, said keeper-and guard each being provided. With .a slot openingen. its

margin, said guard Vbeing movable to open' or close the` slot in the keeper, anda-pro-- tuberance .ontheV Wall` of .saidearsor enf.

gaging said slot in the guardfto hold" the latter in closed position.-y

In testimony whereof I affix. my signature..

IFREERICK A. BALLOU, JR.

Copies of thispajtent. may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ofzlatents,

' Washington, D. C. 

